The Daily Loper – September 15, 2006

Today’s links of interest:

• R.E.M.: And I Feel Fine
  Pitchfork shows that they have a sense of their — our — history. Sure, the 1980s almost killed a whole bunch of us, but that amazing, groundbreaking, epochal music R.E.M. made on IRS is definitely something to remember fondly.
• FX channel tries commercial to combat ad-skipping
  Hey!! This is a pretty smart idea. It’s also pretty inexpensive, as well.
• Consumers not impressed with DVD formats
  Darn consumers, never happy.
• Who?s This Guy Dylan Who?s Borrowing Lines From Henry Timrod?
  Once you’re no longer number one on the Billboard charts, everyone’s a critic.
• Is Uglier Funnier?
  An analysis of a makeover. The Onion’s makeover, that is.
• NFL Network cut by Time Warner
  Hey football fans, aren’t you glad that you can just switch over to another cable pro– wait a second! You can’t. I’m sure that the satellite folks are chuffed, because the NFL Network has become a must-have for some fans.
• Consumers less than impressed with new high definition DVDs
  As President Bush said: "There’s an old saying in Tennessee . . . I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee . . . that says, fool me once, shame on . . . shame on you. Fool me . . . . . . you can’t get fooled again."
• iTunes 7 bug ridden?
  Great. I’m so glad I downloaded and installed it.
• Changing Its Tune
  Add another to radio’s list of woes. Something tells us that they’ll respond with more commercials, even more lousy music, and stupider DJs. Why mess with the formula now?
• Social networking | Hanging with the in-crowd
  While most big media companies are figuring out that social networks are a great way to reach consumers, we mustn’t forget that Universal is going to sue the pants off MySpace (see story below).
• CBS, Comcast Shift From 99-Cent Downloads to Free Online Fare
  Free is evidently the preferred price for some programming…especially if it’s programming that you’d be getting free anyway.
• Los Angeles Times Editor Openly Defies Owner?s Call for Job Cuts
  Hmm, it does seem to be the season for wild and crazy newspaper news. First the Santa Barbara New Press, now the LA Times.
• Morris: YouTube, MySpace abuse copyright
  Universal is poised to take action against the new Internet darlings. Litigation…it’s America’s answer to everything.
• Music taste ‘linked to drug use’
  Hmm, so many things to say, so many things to say.